Chapter Sixteen: Putting on an Act

On the way into the palace, Prince Zhou briefly briefed Lin Zhaoyan on the situation in the imperial court and harem.

The Imperial Noble Consort, Li Xianyu, was the daughter of the Grand Tutor. With her illustrious family background, she held the rank of Imperial Noble Consort the moment she entered the palace. Li Xianyu was alluring and exquisite, the Emperor’s most favored consort. Since the position of Empress remained vacant, she was regarded by all as the mistress of the harem in all but name, and no one dared to show her anything but the utmost respect.

When Lin Zhaoyan and Zhou Jingxuan stepped forward to pay their respects, Li Xianyu’s gaze landed on Lin Zhaoyan, intense and burning. She reclined lazily on her palanquin, lightly stroking the gold hairpin at her temple, and looked down at the two of them from her elevated position. "So it is the General. It has been such a long time; how have you been?"

Another acquaintance? Lin Zhaoyan replied courteously, "Thank you for your concern, Imperial Noble Consort. Everything is well."

"That is good to hear." Although she spoke the words, there was not a trace of genuine care in her tone. "In the past, you were the Emperor’s sparring partner while I was his reading companion, and the three of us would play together. How times have changed—I have become an Imperial Noble Consort, while you remain all alone. It is truly a pity."

Lin Zhaoyan failed to detect any sincerity in her "pity." Zhou Jingxuan was speechless; was he not a person too?

Lin Zhaoyan replied calmly, "Though I am alone, I am not lonely, nor is it a pity."

Li Xianyu ignored her words entirely. She merely raised her hand, and the attendants lowered the palanquin. She walked gracefully toward Lin Zhaoyan and took her hand. "Even so, I would still feel at ease if I could see you with a considerate husband."

Fine, she could say whatever she wanted. Lin Zhaoyan had long since become impervious to such remarks and automatically tuned her out. After Lin Zhaoyan offered a few perfunctory responses, Li Xianyu suddenly realized that the other woman hadn't been listening at all.

Li Xianyu’s expression shifted, on the verge of fury. The attendants all knelt to the ground, not daring to even breathe loudly. Lin Zhaoyan was momentarily stunned; she had responded to every sentence, so why was Li Xianyu displeased?

"I am in a hurry to get to the Imperial Medical Academy for some ointment today, but at the welcome banquet, I shall certainly reminisce properly with you, Imperial Noble Consort," Lin Zhaoyan promised hastily.

Li Xianyu was satisfied at this. A welcome banquet? Yes, that was perfect. This way, she could have her brother meet Lin Zhaoyan; if he took a liking to her, her family’s influence would be even greater.

"Our meeting today was rushed, and I have nothing prepared," Li Xianyu said with a smile. She slipped the jade bracelet from her wrist and pressed it into Lin Zhaoyan’s hand. "Take this, and I shall prepare a proper gift to send to the General’s residence another day."

Lin Zhaoyan couldn't be bothered to refuse, fearing that if she did, Li Xianyu would fly into a rage and keep her there. After accepting the bracelet, she took Zhou Jingxuan to the Imperial Medical Academy to collect the medicine.

Imperial Physician Chen, the head of the Academy, who usually attended to the Emperor and his consort, bowed respectfully upon seeing Lin Zhaoyan. "This is the Gold-Jade Ointment, personally ordered by His Majesty. It is made from rare, priceless medicinal ingredients. Even a single ounce is hard to come by, yet His Majesty has decreed that this entire box be bestowed upon the General."

"This is an honor beyond measure."

Inside the carriage, Lin Zhaoyan toyed with the ointment box, eyeing it casually.

"My, what a large box," Zhou Jingxuan said, lazily propping his chin up with a strange tone in his voice.

Lin Zhaoyan scoffed. "Are you being sincere?" He was being awfully snide.

"Truly," Zhou Jingxuan answered dismissively. "This carriage is also quite large; it is truly worthy of an imperial gift."

Lin Zhaoyan handed the box to Zhou Jingxuan. He brightened, opened the lid, and the fragrance of the ointment wafted out—a rich scent of jasmine.

"Do you like jasmine?" Zhou Jingxuan asked, though his tone was quite certain.

"I do. Why?" Lin Zhaoyan asked, puzzled.

Zhou Jingxuan snapped the box shut and shoved it back into Lin Zhaoyan’s hands. "Take it. It was given to you by the most noble person in the world. This is a special honor, indeed."

He was becoming even more snide. Lin Zhaoyan looked down. "Oh, then I shall keep it." If it could truly remove her scars, it was a good thing; it would be a waste not to accept it.

Zhou Jingxuan was left speechless.

As the carriage swayed toward the Zui Chun Pavilion, Zhou Jingxuan grew solemn and lowered his voice. "His Majesty summoned my father and me for an audience today and showered us with praise."

"As meritorious ministers, His Majesty would naturally reward you," Lin Zhaoyan said calmly.

Zhou Jingxuan frowned. "But the Emperor’s tone... it was strange."

"Is he stranger than you?" Lin Zhaoyan retorted.

Zhou Jingxuan: ...

"Forgive me for asking an offensive question," Zhou Jingxuan said seriously.

Lin Zhaoyan couldn't help but grow earnest. "Please, go ahead."

"Do you and His Majesty have a past?"

Lin Zhaoyan was speechless. Zhou Jingxuan’s imagination was far too wild. "Rest assured, Prince, that is absolutely impossible," she replied, annoyed. Wait—what business was it of his? Was it his place to "rest assured"?

"General, I am being serious," Zhou Jingxuan analyzed. "His Majesty kept asking about your injuries and who you were in close contact with; he didn't even ask about anything else."

"He asked who I was in close contact with?" Lin Zhaoyan was more concerned about the latter, naturally overlooking the former.

Zhou Jingxuan nodded, absolutely certain. Lin Zhaoyan looked at him with great suspicion, but his eyes were clear and he looked remarkably innocent.

In truth, Su Chengyun had only asked, "Who was caring for Lin Zhaoyan when she was injured?" but Zhou Jingxuan was born with a penchant for exaggeration.

Something was wrong with this Emperor. Why would he ignore official business to ask so much about Lin Zhaoyan? And why did he ask Zhou Jingxuan instead of asking her directly? Regardless, it was his talent to seize the opportunity to stir the pot.

Lin Zhaoyan, unaware of the schemes brewing in Zhou Jingxuan’s mind, began to think seriously. "Then, when you pretended to be at odds with me in the Imperial Garden..."

"That was to distance our relationship," Zhou Jingxuan said with gravity. "The palace is filled with eyes; it is truly stifling."

So those "eyes" were arranged by the Emperor, then. It made sense; the Prince of Zhou held great merit and prestige. As an Emperor, he likely didn't want the General and the Prince to be too close, and naturally, he wouldn't want to see Lin Zhaoyan and Zhou Jingxuan as friends. The Prince had considered things quite thoroughly, Lin Zhaoyan thought, nodding.

(In reality, Zhou Jingxuan simply couldn't stand Su Chengyun.)

"What kind of relationship do we have?" Lin Zhaoyan asked. Seeing Zhou Jingxuan freeze, she smiled inwardly.

"...Hmph," Zhou Jingxuan’s eyes darted about. "A relationship of life and death."

"Then it seems I cannot host a grand banquet for you, Prince," Lin Zhaoyan teased. "Perhaps I should just send you back to the Prince's residence instead."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingxuan spoke without thinking, "I won't lie to you, General—I actually enjoy doing things in secret. It’s thrilling."

What kind of quirk was this? Lin Zhaoyan smiled helplessly. "As you wish, Prince."

"What?"

"Stop." Lin Zhaoyan commanded. The carriage came to a halt, and she pushed Zhou Jingxuan out past the curtain. Losing his balance, he grabbed her wrist in a panic. Though she was pushing him away, her hand held tightly onto his collar.

Zhou Jingxuan was shoved out of the carriage. Such a large, imperially bestowed carriage stopped in the middle of the road, drawing the gaze of all the bystanders.

"Go!" Lin Zhaoyan feigned anger.

Zhou Jingxuan put his hands on his hips, affecting a roguish posture. "General, aren't you being a bit too rough? That is simply unreasonable."

"Is there any need to be reasonable with someone like you?" Lin Zhaoyan scoffed. The carriage immediately pulled away, leaving Zhou Jingxuan standing in the street.